Bobbin retainer for weft replenishing mechanisms



A. c. KRUKONJS BOBBIN RETAINER FOR WEF'I' REPLENISHING MECHANISMS Filed July 50, 1948 June 28, 1949.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l NVENTOR ALEXANDER C. KRUKONIS ATTORNEY June 28, 1949. A. c. KRUKONIS 2, 74, 3

BOBBIN RETAINER FOR WEFT REPLENISHING MECHANISMS Filed July 30, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ALEXANDER O. KRUKONIS ATTORNEY Patented June 28 1949 BOBBIN RETAINER FOR REPLENISH- ING MECHANISMS AlexanderC. Krukonis, Auburn; Mass, assignor t Crompton & Knowles LoomWorks, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application July 30, 1948, Serial No. 41,617

. 6 Claims. (01. 139-245) This invention relates to improvements in weft replenishing looms more particularly of the type employing a reserve bobbin magazine and it is thegeneral objectof the invention to provide simple means for retaining bobbins in the magazine.

Ina typeof weft replenishing loom which has goneinto general use the reserve bobbins are storedin a magazine having two stacks or guideways down which the bobbins move by gravity toward transfer position. The magazine is ordinarily in position for transfer of the lowest bobbin in one of the stacks, and when the lowest bobbin'in the other stack is to be transferredthe magazine is rocked, Under high loom speed operation the rocking motion of the magazine is rapidand there is atendency for the top bobbins inthe stacks to be shaken outof the magazine.

It is animportant object of the invention to pro'videthe upper end of each bobbin stack with astop or the like normally in position to arrest upward movement of the bobbin out of the magazine, but yieldable to permit fresh bobbins to be plaoedinto the stacks from above the magazine. Thestop may be made either of spring material of such form that it can snap onto a part of the magazine and be held in position by its own resilience, or be attached permanentlyto the magazine. In either event it will have a free end which is momentarily moved aside bythebobbins when they are placed into the stacks, and will then return automatically to stopping position.

Withthese and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangementof parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein three forms of the invention are set forth,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a loom partly in section showing a magazine provided with the preferred form of the invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation looking inthe direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the upper part of one end of the magazine looking in the direction of arrow 3, Fig. 2, i

Fig. 4is. an enlarged detailedvertical section oniline -|14,Fig. 3,

Fig. :5zis aside elevation looking in :the direction otsarrow 5,v Fig. 4, i

Fig. 6 is. a detailed horizontal section on line E-'-B,-.Fig. 4, a

Fig. 'Ztisa view similar to Fig. 4, but showing the flrSt-mOdifledformotthe invention, 1

Fig. 8is a side elevation looking in thedirection of arrow 8, Fig. 7,

Fig. 9 is a view on an enlarged scale of the upper right hand part of the magazine shown in Fig. 3, but with the second modification of the invention applied thereto, and

Fig. 10 is a vertical section on line I'll-l0; Fig. 9. l 7

Referring particularlyto Fig. 1, the loom frame Ill has the forward or left hand part thereof as viewed in Fig. l-provided with a support H carrying a pivot stud I2. A magazine M is rockably mounted on stud Hand is provided with front and back stacks BI and B2 of bobbins B. The

.' upper part of the magazine is connected to a rearwardly extending rod I3 attached to a bell crank lever 14 pivoted at E5. A dependin rod I6 is connected to the lever M at its upper end and at its lower end is connected to mechanism not shownherein but well understood.

The support II has a stationary stud mm which is mounted atransferrer arm 2| provided with a latch 22 for operation by a bunter 23 on the lay L. The weft detector designated generally at D is supported from the stud 2!) and initiates a weft replenishing operation of the loom when ashuttle inshuttle box Mis depleted. The loom will operate with two shuttles one of which is indicated at S. A pneumatic thread controller 25 and an air pump Zt-connected thereto is provided for tensioning the weft ends W which extend from the stacks Bi and BZtoWard-a thread holder H.

As viewed in Fig. 2 these weft ends lead to the right from the tip-ends 2'! of a the bobbins. The left hand ends of the bobbins have the usual butts 28. The magazine has right and left hand bobbin guidingplates and 3! as viewed'in Fig. 2; plate 38 as seen more particularly in Fig; 3 having front and back bobbin butt guiding flanges 32;and33, respectively, for the front stack Bl. Plate '30 has alsofront and back flanges. 34 and 35,. respectively, for the rear stack B2. The upper ends of these flanges. are inclined towardthe longitudinal. center of. their respective stacks, flanges 32 and 33 having. walls 36 and 31, respectively, which are inclined upwardly andtoward each other, while .the rear stack has similar .in-. clined walls 38 and 39 on flanges 34 and respectively. The plate 30 is provided with a web orwall 40 which has operative connection with the forward end of rod l3.

The matter thus far described is of common construction and operatesin the usual manner. The magazine M will normally be in the posh tion indicated in Fig. 1 with the lowest bobbin of the front stack Bl under the transferrer arm 2 I. If, under these conditions the detector D calls for replenishment from the front stack the magazine will remain in the position shown in Fig. 1 as the transferrer arm descends. If, on the other hand, replenishment is to involve the lowest bobbin in the rear stack B2 rod l6 will then be depressed to rock the magazine in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1. When the loom is operating at high speed the rocking of the magazine is necessarily accomplished in a very short interval of time and there is likelihood that the top bobbins in the stacks may be thrown upwardly out of their stacks or guideways. This is more likely to happen at the butt end of the bobbins, the ends at the left as viewed in Fig. 2, since the weft ends W, by their attachment with the tip ends 21, are likely to restrain upward movement of the right ends of the bobbins.

In carrying the present invention into effect provision is made for preventing the butt ends of the top bobbins in the stacks from being accidentally shaken upwardly out of the magazine when the latter rocks. In the preferred form of the invention the web or wall 46 of plate 30 of the magazine is formed with a rib 56 and a spring clip or stop is provided having a left hand side 52 thereof as viewed in Fig. 4 shaped to conform to and extend under the rib. This side 52 together with the top part 53 of the stop and the down-bent portion 54 thereof holds the stop against upward movement with respect to the magazine. The stop 5| is provided with a free end 55 which is inclined downwardly and away from web 40 and terminates in a guide tongue 56 which enters a hole 51 in the web 46. Each bobbin stack is provided with one of these stops 5|. 1

The free end 55 will normally overhang the butt of the topmost bobbin in the associated stack, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, to prevent the bobbin from moving upwardly or being shaken out of the magazine when the latter rocks. When fresh bobbins are being inserted into the magazine their butt ends will be pressed down from a position above the stop into engagement with the inclined free end or arm 55 to flex the latter to the shape shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, the tongue 56 moving in the hole 51 and the lower [part of the free end 55 being deflected sufficiently to allow the bobbin butt to enter the stack. Tongue 56 resists lateral motion of the stop along rib 50. The stop has a rounded lower end 58 to prevent injury to the hand of the bobbin boy when inserting bobbins into the magazine, and the free stop end 55 automatically springs back to the full line position shown in Fig. 4 after the associated stack has been filled with reserve bobbins.

In the first modified form of the invention shown in Fig. '7 the stop '60 is made of spring sheet metal having a base 6| extending over the top of the web or wall 40 and held to the latter by screws 62. A wall or free end 63 similar to end 55 extends downwardly and away from the web 40 in the position to overhang bobbins below it. When a bobbin is being inserted into the top of the stack it will engage the wall 63 and deflect it to the dotted line position shown in Fig. '7. As the bobbins pass below the stop the latter automatically springs back to the position shown in full lines in Fig. '7 and acts as does the first form of the invention to prevent upward escape of bobbins when the magazine rocks. The lower end of the wall 631s preferably curved as at 54 to provide a rounded surface for the protection of the bobbin boy.

In both of the forms of the invention thus far described the stop is secured to the web or wall 40. In the second modified form of the invention, however, the stop is secured to one of the flanges defining the guideways for the bobbins. As shown more particularly in Fig. 9, a stop made of resilient sheet metal has a downbent right end 66 secured to flange or wall 35 by screws 61. The stop extends over the top of flange 35 and then downwardly and inclined away from the top of flange 35, as at 68. The extreme lower end of the section 68 may be bent as at 69 to conform to flange 35 and is normally located at such a distance from the upper end of the corresponding flange 34 as to restrict the top of the bobbin guideway to a dimension less than the diameter of the bobbin butt. Because of this relationship the bobbin butts will be prevented from moving upwardly out of their stacks or guideways when the magazine rocks. When fresh bobbins are being placed into the stack the stop arm 68 will be moved from the full to the dotted line position in Fig. 9 and then will return by its own resilience to the full line stopping position.

In each form of the invention the stop is made preferably of resilient sheet metal bent to the appropriate form and held in position either by its own resilience or by screws such as shown in Figs. 7 and 9. The web 40 and flanges thereon may be considered as walls defining a guideway G for the bobbin butts. The downwardly inclined resilient arms 55, .63 and 68 of the spring clips or stops are moved out of their normal position by fresh bobbins when the latter are being placed in the magazine, and the stop then automatically returns to stopping position. By the use of the present invention the capacity of each stack can be increased one or two bobbins. It is common practice in some mills to put fewer bobbins in the magazine than it will actually hold because of the tendency of the top bobbins to move upwardly out of the magazine when the latter rocks. The clips or stops set forth herein, however, being located adjacent to the top ofthe guideways or stacks, permits the full capacity of the magazine to be realized without danger that the top bobbins will be shaken out of the magazine when replenishing operations require the magazine to rock.

Having thus described the invention it will be seen that changes and modifications of the foregoing specific disclosure may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is: I

1. In a reserve bobbin magazine having a wall forming part of a bobbin guideway in which reserve bobbins are stored, a bobbin stop secured to the wall at the top of the guideway and having a resilient arm normally inclined downwardly and away from the wall and overhanging part of a bobbin thereunder in the guideway, said arm being deflectable toward said wall by a bobbin being inserted into the guideway from above the latter, and said arm due to the resilience thereof returning to the normal position thereof.

2. In a reserve bobbin magazine having a Wall forming part of a bobbin guideway in which reserve bobbins are stored, a rib formed along the top of said wall on the side of the latter opposite said guideway, and a resilient sheet metal, bobbin stop having a part extending under said rib. and having another part extending over said walland having an integral resilient am inclined downs wardly and away from said wall in said guideway, said arm normally overhanging part of a bobbin thereunder in the guideway and being deflectable toward said wall by a bobbin being inserted into the guideway from above the latter and said arm due to the resilience thereof returning to the normal position thereof.

3. In a reserve bobbin magazine having a wall forming part of a bobbin guideway in which reserve bobbins are stored, said wall having a hole therein adjacent to the upper end of said guideway, and a resilient sheet metal bobbin stop held due to the resiliency thereof on the wall adjacent to the top of said guideway, said stop having a resilient arm inclined downwardly and away from said wall and terminating in a tongue extending into said hole, said arm normally overhanging part of a bobbin therebelow in the guideway to prevent upward movement of said part of the bobbin out of the guideway, said arm being deflectable toward the wall and said tongue being movable into the hole by a bobbin being inserted into the guideway from above the magazine, said arm thereafter due to the resilience thereof springing back to a position over said part of the bobbin, said tongue by engagement of parts of said wall adjacent said hole restricting movement of said stop on the wall laterally of said guideway.

4. In a reserve bobbin magazine having a wall forming part of a bobbin guideway in which reserve bobbins are stored, a stop secured to said wall adjacent to the upper part of said guideway and having a resilient arm extending into said guideway over part of the top bobbin in the guideway, said arm due to the resilience thereof being deflectable toward the wall by a bobbin being inserted downwardly into the guideway from above the magazine, and said arm due to the resilience thereof thereafter returning to a position over said part of the bobbin.

5. In a reserve bobbin magazine having an end plate including a web and flanges extending laterally from the web and together with the web defining a guideway for reserve bobbins, a resilient arm secured to one of said flanges and having a part thereof inclined downwardly and away from said one flange toward the other flange to overhang part of a bobbin therebelow in the guideway, said arm due to the resilience thereof being deflectable toward said flange by a bobbin being inserted into the guideway from above the magazine, and said arm due to resilience thereof thereafter returning to a position over said part of the bobbin.

6. In a reserve bobbin magazine having an end plate formed with a web and bobbin guideway defining flanges extending laterally from the weft, the upper ends of said flanges being inclined upwardly and toward each other, a resilient bobbin stop secured to the upper end of one of said flanges and being inclined downwardly and away from said one flange toward the other flange and conforming to the inclined upper end of said one flange, said stop being defiectable toward said one flange by a bobbin being inserted into the guideway from above the magazine, and said stop thereafter returning to the normal position thereof in which said stop is effective to resist upward movement of part of the bobbin thereunder out of said guideway.

ALEXANDER C. KRUKONIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,548,399 Wakefield Aug. 4, 1925 1,561,686 Blanchard Nov. 17, 1925 1,622,066 'Iaranto Mar. 22, 1927 

